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Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals Last Opportunity for Riders to Qualify for the World Finals in Arlington

By: Justin Felisko

PUEBLO, Colo. – The clock is about to strike midnight for riders that are looking to qualify for the 2020 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast in Arlington, Texas, on Nov. 12-15.

The 2020 Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals begins Friday at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and there are 27 riders in the 45-rider competition currently outside of the World Finals picture looking to change that narrative this weekend.

Fans can watch all of the action exclusively on RidePass beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday and Saturday.

The Top 35 active/eligible riders in the PBR world standings at the conclusion of the Velocity Tour Finals and 2020 PBR Canada Finals on Saturday evening will qualify for the World Finals. According to the PBR competition department, there are already at least six riders inside the Top 35 that will not be competing in Arlington, which means the current cutoff to get to the World Finals is the No. 41 ranking in the world standings. This cutoff is subject to change depending on any injuries sustained this weekend and how the final world rankings shape up.

Once the PBR competition department finalizes the 35 qualifiers, four additional riders will qualify for the World Finals as wild card invites based on the Velocity Tour standings and the Velocity Tour Finals event standings.

• The top two riders in the Velocity Tour standings that are not qualified for the World Finals via the world standings.
• The top two finishers at the Velocity Tour Finals event will also qualify. If every rider in the Top 5 has already qualified for the World Finals, then the wild card berths will go to the next eligible riders in the Velocity Tour Standings.

These four wild cards make it possible for 27 riders in Sioux Falls to still have a pathway to the World Finals, including Venn Johns, the No. 87-ranked bull rider in the world and the last alternate competing in Sioux Falls, that are not inside the Top 41 of the world standings.

Quick look at the bubble standings heading into Round 1
No. 39 Junio Patrik Souza (103.5 world points)
No. 40 Dakota Louis (103 world points)
No. 41 Marcus Mast (99.16 world points)
No. 42 Paulo Lima (6.16 points behind Mast)
No. 43 Cody Casper (-10.16 points)
No. 44 Wallace de Oliveira (-11 points)
No. 47 Luciano de Castro (-14.66 points)

How many points are available at the Velocity Tour Finals?

Rounds: 15, 8, 7, 4, 3, 2, 1
Average: 60, 38, 27, 20, 16, 11, 5

Here are a few notable riders to keep an eye on this weekend in Sioux Falls that will be looking at punching their tickets to Arlington.

 
Marcus Mast: The Middlebury, Indiana, bull rider is holding onto the No. 41 ranking in the world standings, and he will be looking to finish his journey to his first PBR World Finals qualification this weekend. Mast (99.16 world points) is 6.16 points ahead of No. 42 Paulo Lima in the world standings. Mast is in a position to qualify for the World Finals in part because he ended the Velocity Tour regular season 5-for-6 and picking up 16 world points. Mast is also ninth in the Velocity Tour standings and in a position to challenge for the Velocity Tour championship or a wild card position if needed.

Mast faces the No. 1 bull in the ABBI on Friday night – Woopaa (5-0, all levels). Taylor Toves has lasted the longest (5.02 seconds) of any rider against Woopaa.

 
Dalton Kasel: Talk about a second opportunity for Dalton Kasel. The 2019 Rookie of the Year found out Monday he had an alternate spot for the Velocity Finals, and his last ditch effort to qualify for a second World Finals is in front of him once again. Kasel has had two core muscle repairs in the past year, and he has struggled (4-for-17 at all levels) to bounce back to his impressive rookie form. Kasel, though, remains one of the most talented young guns in the PBR, and he should be a threat in Sioux Falls to win now that he is fully recovered from his two surgeries. He is currently 56th in the world standings.

Kasel could be in the position for a round win Friday night against M.A.G.A (22-17, all levels) if he and the bull put forth their best showings. Alex Cerqueira was the last left-handed bull rider to reach the 8-second mark on M.A.G.A., doing so for 84.25 points in Lincoln, Nebraska, but Joao Ricardo Vieira also rode M.A.G.A. for 90.25 points at Iron Cowboy in February.

 
Ky Hamilton: The No. 2-ranked bull rider in the PRCA has been focusing primarily on qualifying for his first National Finals Rodeo and a run at the PRCA bull riding championship. However, Hamilton can also qualify for the PBR World Finals with a big performance in Sioux Falls. Hamilton, 20, left Australia two years ago following the PBR’s Sydney Global Cup to pursue a career in the United States. He lives part-time at PBR co-founder Cody Lambert’s ranch in Texas, and 1998 World Champion Troy Dunn has remained a mentor since he left Australia. Hamilton is 87th in the world standings and will likely need a top-two finish at the Velocity Tour Finals to get to Arlington. Hamilton finished the PRCA regular season 41-for-90.

Hamilton faces a tough test in Round 1 against Little Hott. The bull is 5-0, including buckoffs against Ryan Dirteater (3.07 seconds), Ezekiel Mitchell (2.88 seconds) and Jose Vitor Leme (2.06 seconds).

 
Valdiron de Oliveira: The 11-time PBR World Finals qualifier has been training three hours a day in hopes of becoming the oldest bull rider to qualify for the PBR World Finals (41 year old). Oliveira missed the 2019 season because of a serious gastrointestinal illness that forced him to retire after the 2018 PBR World Finals. He has only competed in four PBR events in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic limited the number of Velocity Tour and Touring Pro Division events. In Round 1, Oliveira matches up against -718 of Hebert Bucking Bulls, who is making his PBR debut.

Wallace de Oliveira is also attempting to qualify for the World Finals at 41 years old, but he is five days younger than Valdiron. Wallace, though, may have the easier path to Arlington as he begins the Velocity Tour Finals sitting No. 2 in the Velocity Tour standings. Oliveira matches up with Blessed (6-2, all levels) in Round 1. 2016 World Champion Cooper Davis tied for the Round 1 victory in Tulsa with 89 points on Blessed.

Venn Johns is also competing at the Velocity Tour Finals, and the 46-year-old will likely need to finish in the top two of the event for him to qualify for the World Finals. If that were the case, Johns would become the oldest World Finals qualifier in PBR history. He became the oldest bull rider to appear on the premier series in Guthrie, Oklahoma, this past April. Johns has drawn Smokin Gun (7-4, all levels) for Round 1.

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

Photo courtesy of Andre Silva/Bull Stock Media

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